 The truth behind the 20 kingdoms, the ancient kingdom, and the meaning of the D. What if the key to finding out the answers to all of these great mysteries of One Piece are already available to us? What if I told you it's as easy as understanding our real world history? Well welcome to the mega theory, we're going to figure everything out. Hello Manakamantachi, this is Joygirl, and you may or may not know that I am a bit of a history nerd. And if you didn't know, well now you do. But I guess something more obvious is that I'm also a big One Piece nerd. Hence why I dedicate the majority of my spare time discussing One Piece with fellow One Piece fans. But what happens when you cross between a history nerd and a One Piece nerd? A banging theory. And this is a big one, so take a deep breath, make yourself comfortable, and prepare to have your mind blown. Because today we're attempting to solve the identity of the Gorosei. Imu and the rest of the 20 kingdoms, as well as the events of the void century. And where do we begin? Well how about 800 years ago? 800 years ago, 20 kingdoms from all over the world banded together to establish one great power. A power that would continue to this day as the world government, the rulers of the world. The descendants of these 20 kingdoms would come to be known as the Celestial Dragons. Holding almost godlike status, essentially free to do anything they please, so long as it doesn't involve harming other members of this esteemed class. And while for a long time the names of these 20 kingdoms were shrouded in mystery, as of the Egghead Island Ark, we've been finding out more and more information about these Monarchs, including the names of some of these dynasties. And based on these lore reveals, something that I have gathered, or more accurately, something that has become even more obvious to me, is that Oda-san is also quite the history nerd himself. Which granted, is something that has been apparent throughout the series, as we've seen on multiple occasions that Oda takes inspiration from a lot of real life events, figures and places, to craft his own brilliant story. But it's become even more obvious as we find out more about the Ancient Kingdom and the 20 opposing kingdoms that caused its downfall. And the first piece of historical connection that I want to establish, is that the events surrounding the Ancient Kingdom seem to have been heavily influenced by a period of real world history known as Classical Antiquity. This term refers to the long history spanning from 8th century BC to 5th century AD, primarily referring to the apex of ancient civilizations like Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. And this is all very similar to what we know about the history of the One Piece World. Because we know that between around 1100 years ago to 800 years ago, there were great civilizations in the One Piece World that were thriving. This is clear from Shandora, the city of gold which we know to have prospered in the year 402, which was over 1120 years ago, as well as the great Ancient Kingdom which flourished before the events of the void century, up until roughly 900 years ago. And the influence of Greco-Roman culture is also evident with the names of the ancient weapons, Pluton, Poseidon and Uranus all being named after Greco-Roman deities. Recently, we also found out that the Ancient Kingdom was actually a very technologically advanced kingdom, far more superior than the technology currently available in present day One Piece, and even more superior than the renowned genius Dr. Vegapunk himself. Its knowledge and advancements quashed during the void century supposedly by the world government. And again, this is very similar to Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, which amongst other things is widely recognized for its contributions to science and innovation. Because we humans still have the classical age to thank for roads, central heating and flushing toilets. But then so what? It's not the first time Oda has drawn from real life and I'm sure it won't be the last. But what if we dig deeper? And I mean much, much deeper, all the way to the beginning of the Roman Empire. And similar to how after the fall of the Roman Empire, the majority of the European world sunk into a period known as the Dark Ages, where all of the great knowledge and advancements of the previous period were lost to society. It seems the world government have intentionally hid the secrets and the advancements and all the knowledge of the Ancient Kingdom from society, plunging them into a very dark age. According to Roman mythology, the story of two twin brothers Romulus and Remus tells us the story of how the Roman Kingdom was born. Romulus and Remus are said to be two brothers who not only had family ties to the former king of an ancient Latin city, but was also born to a Vestal Virgin, their father being Mars the God of War. However, when their granduncle deposed the former king, their grandfather, this new king viewed them as threats, ordering the brothers to be killed. But Romulus and Remus were saved by the River God, growing up to be natural leaders unaware of their true lineage. They would eventually go on to find out about their heritage, setting off to build a city of their own until the brothers themselves got into a dispute. A dispute about which hill they should build their new city on, a dispute that ultimately resulted in Romulus killing his own brother Remus, going on to found the city of Rome alone. Romulus would then expand the city into nearby Etruscan and Greek territories, but this new city faced a problem. Rome didn't have enough civilians, so Romulus invited men of all classes and backgrounds to come to Rome to become citizens. He accepted fugitives and slaves and freemen. This ragtag group meant that to nearby cities, the citizens of Rome seemed like ruffians. And right about now, my head's thinking, a new city whose founder is regarded to have the blood of the gods opened its doors to all sorts of people regardless of their background. Could it be that this is the story of the birth of the ancient kingdom founded by the original joyboy who indeed has deity status by the Sun God Nica and how this kingdom accepted all races, all people, including ruffians like pirates, and therefore not desirable to the outside world? But wait, because it gets better. Because it's important to note that Rome was far from a haven. Romulus was a man who killed his own brother, and though we have to regard him in consideration of the context of his time, a very bloody, violent era. The Roman Kingdom and what eventually became the Roman Empire was very different to, say, the ancient Greek society. Whereas Athenian democracy in ancient Greece truly meant that all men had the right to vote and participate in politics, the Roman Republic was limited to wealthy and influential families. And then it eventually turned into an empire, ruled by a single dictator or emperor. And I think the difference between these two approaches to government is actually very important because Oda was clearly inspired by both ancient Greece and ancient Rome, hence the Greco-Roman names for the ancient weapons. And in that way, I think these two different cultures and approaches to power may be very representative of an element that exists in one piece. The two different kinds of individuals with the will of Di. The Di family or the Di clan is a big mystery in one piece, especially because of those who bear the Di initial. There are almost two directly opposing ideologies or two camps that exist. Those who, like Luffy, seek adventure and freedom for more wholesome reasons. And those like Blackbeard who seem to have a Machiavellian approach to life. Well, what if this was taken from the contrast between ancient Greece and ancient Rome? Both cities, both kingdoms legendary in their own rights, but ancient Rome representing the darker, the more violent and more sinister of the two. And what if I told you that this period of history could even reveal what the Di initial means? Because in ancient Rome, a key principle that all Roman men lived by was that of dignitas. Dignitas. Not to be confused or simply understood as dignity, because this word is one that cannot be easily translated into English. Dignitas was a concept that signified one standing or rank in community and the influence that one acquired throughout his life. It encapsulated reputation, achievements, self-worth, pride, honor and even ethical standards. And I think that this perfectly captures what the will of Di means. Those with the will of Di all lead or all lead legendary lives in their own ways. Those with the will of Di embody great dignitas. This is clear through their achievements, their reputation, their honor and or values. This is the reason why the Di bearers are said to bring about a storm, because to live according to a life of dignitas, necessitates you to exemplify valor and strong will, lives that will indeed cause great flurry. Perhaps that's also the reason why those with the Di initial all die with that same wide D-shaped smile. Even at their final moments, they know that they lived according to their principles and values, that they led satisfactory lives, that they achieved dignitas. This obtainment of dignitas marked on their faces even at their deaths for everyone to witness. But in ancient Roman society, to gain dignitas, you needed to win glorious or glory. And in that ancient society, glory most often came in the form of military wins. The Roman Empire existed for 450 years and during this long period, it was almost always at war. The Roman Empire had one of the most militaristic campaigns in all of human history. And this meant that Rome continued to expand, swallowing up other kingdoms near and far. At its peak, it spanned three continents, including most of Europe, Northern Africa and Southwest Asia. But throughout its long history and struggle for expansion, it experienced a constant shift in allies and enemies. And I think this is where things get really interesting, because I think this explains the downfall of the ancient kingdom and the subsequent rise of the 20 kingdoms. Because something I failed to mention explicitly so far is that the Roman Empire was not always an empire. For a decent period, it was the Roman Republic. And rather than having one ruler, it was ruled by a Senate. Actually, Rome was very averse to the idea of having one dictator and cherished this political system, which is why when Julius Caesar, a renowned statesman and general, at the height of his career made a move to transform the Roman Republic into an empire, ruled by him as dictator. And when this happened, the other Senators did not take kindly. Killing Caesar before he could even see his dreams come true. But despite the Senators' efforts, Rome turned into an empire anyways. But what I really find intriguing about this piece of history is the idea of having no one king. Because that's a very familiar concept for us One Piece fans, a concept that is symbolically established through the empty throne. And the greater, darker, iconic truth that actually, the One Piece world is ruled by one dictator after all. Which has got me thinking, whether the fall of Joy Boy and the Ancient Kingdom is influenced by the murder of Caesar and the ensuing line of dictators this resulted in. For example, what if, as the Ancient Kingdom grew and grew and grew, Joy Boy rose as its natural leader? Now whether Joy Boy himself rose to rule as a dictator like Caesar, or whether the citizens of the Ancient Kingdom just gravitated towards him instead. Either way, what if this is what kicked off the Great War between the Ancient Kingdom and the 20 kingdoms? If the Ancient Kingdom really is primarily based on Ancient Rome, then it's easy to see that the 20 kingdoms would most likely be the smaller or weaker kingdoms that Rome swallowed up in its insatiable hunger for conquest. Or otherwise, neighboring states that were threatened by the Ancient Kingdom's power and influence. So when it seemed that Joy Boy would become the ultimate ruler, causing some discord and stabilizing the harmony of the status quo, that's when the 20 kingdoms banded together and seized the opportunity, starting a war that would result in the demise of the once Great Kingdom. And this seems even more plausible when we start scratching the surface of each of the known 20 kingdoms. But before we move on to this next part of the theory, if you like what we've discussed so far, then please do subscribe. This will help me achieve my own dignitas, so that I can leave with a great smile on my face. Okay, but going back to the video and let me explain, we'll start by looking at who seems to currently be at the head of the 20 Monarchs, the Narona family. In chapters 1085-1086, it was heavily suggested via Cobra and Ivankov that Imu is actually Saint Imu of the Narona family, the Narona family being one of the first 20 kingdoms opposed by the world government. And this name, Narona, is more than likely to be significant. Upon first glance, the most obvious historical influences seems to be Emperor Nero, a Roman Empire notorious for debauchery and cruelty, said to have killed his own mother, and speculated to have started the Great Fire of Rome, blaming Christians instead, starting the persecution of this new religion. And the similarities are quite plausible. The famous Polish painting, Pokotny Narona, or in English, Nero's Tortures, depicts a scene of Christian martyrs who face execution due to being blamed for the Great Fire while the Emperor Nero watches overhead. And we've recently seen Imu to be a similarly callous and ruthless leader, wiping out an entire island and its people essentially on a whim. So it is entirely possible that the historical figure who inspired Oda's creation of Imu is none other than the Roman Emperor who throughout history has become synonymous with evil, but I do think that there may be a further influence. Because although there is a direct connection between Imu's family name and that painting Nero's tortures, which again in Polish, Nero is Narona, which is one of the immediate things that actually came to my mind when we were introduced to Imu's full name was the city of Vorona, because switch out one letter from Narona. In fact, just strike out one line in the letter N and you get Vorona. And Vorona is a city in a modern-day Italy located as part of the Veneta region. The city is perhaps most well known as the city where William Shakespeare's famous play Romeo and Juliet is set. And I do think Narona may also be a reference to this Italian region. Because apart from Vorona, Veneta is also the home of another influential city, Venice. And well, Venice, Venice has a very interesting history because although it will be a much smaller city now, emerging as the city-state in the 9th century, Venice comprised a much more territory and was actually known as the Republic of Venice. And the Republic of Venice also covered areas that we now know to be Vorona. And this city-state, which Vorona is a part of, is well known for having been a major financial and maritime power during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, which is to say that following the fall of the Roman Empire and the Age of Antiquity, Venice consolidated power. Shall we say, eerily similar to how Emu seems to have gained absolute world power following the events of the void century and the fall of the ancient kingdom. The city of Venice also became the staging area for the Crusaders, a religious holy war between the Catholic Church and Islam. And interestingly enough, we have discussed in the past how Emu and the world government seem to represent the Catholic Church because the parallels between the world government and the early Catholic Church are very clear within the series, both being the authorized institutions at the top of their respective worlds, as well as Oda's aesthetic choices in his design of the world government. For example, the architecture of Marijua's Panjia Castle closely resembles the Vatican Palace and the empty throne is shaped like St. Peter's Square. And I have discussed the significance of this in greater detail in another video, so please feel free to go and watch that video because I discuss a lot of other historical connections that are still relevant. But for the purposes of this video, it's interesting that the city state that Verona was a part of was the gathering point for Crusaders, similar to how Emu is the central figure whose decision the Gorosei wait on to engage in destruction. It's also interesting that just how despite the senators killing Caesar, because they wanted to uphold the Roman Republic, Rome's history from that point forth was marked by dictators and emperors and it seems like we have a similar case in One Piece. If there was an uprising to stop Joy Boy from being the ultimate ruler, in a sense of twisted irony, Emu became the world's dictator instead. Or how about another of the 20 Monarchs? A family I find particularly interesting is that of the Nefertari Kingdom. We know that despite Queen Lily being originally scheduled to join the rest of the 20 Kingdoms up at Maryshwar, she chose not to go for unknown reasons. Instead, she set into motion a series of events that led to the spread of the Pornoclyphs and the passing down of the D-initial down the Nefertari family line before mysteriously disappearing. Well, the observation that the Nefertari family and Adubaster in general seems to be based on the real life Ancient Egypt is nothing new. But it does get very interesting when we think about the relationship between Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece and Rome, a relationship that goes back even before the birth of the Roman Empire. And if I was to do it justice, I could spend the entire video recounting the history of Greco-Egyptian Roman history. But the short and sweet version is this. Following the death of Alexander the Great, his massive Greek Empire was puzzled off by various successors who couldn't agree on who should be the next king. So from from 300 to 30 BC, Egypt became the Ptolemaic Kingdom or the Ptolemaic Egypt referring to a lineage of Greek monarchs who ruled Egypt assimilating into Egyptian culture to acquire the trust and loyalty of its citizens while also ensuring the continuance of their own Greek heritage. From the mid-3rd century BC, Ptolemaic Egypt was the wealthiest and most powerful of Alexander's successors' states and it was the leading example of Greek civilization. However, this power and influence gradually began to weaken coinciding with the rise of the Roman Empire until it lost to Roman conquest. And interesting enough, the ruler at the time and the last of the Ptolemaic pharaohs was Cleopatra. What's even more interesting is that Cleopatra and Julius Caesar were partners in love and politics. And come on, I'm not the only one thinking Joy Boy and Lily? It's true that Nefertari is the name of an Egyptian queen who existed way before the times of Cleopatra. But Nefertari is just a family name to establish the Egyptian influence of the Anabastha Kingdom. Whereas Lily herself, she seems to be based on the last Egyptian pharaoh, a smart and devious woman who understood politics and played her cards. Although not very well because following Caesar's death, she also died committing suicide when it became clear that she would not survive. But this does seem to fit what we know about Lily. The Nefertari family was a part of the 20 kingdoms but was also somehow loyal to Joy Boy and the ancient kingdom. Lily played the politics and then eventually she disappeared. Perhaps as a kingdom that had been previously disgruntled by the ancient kingdom's rise to power, when it came to Lily's reign, she was a lot more politically savvy and strategic or maybe it was a matter of the heart. Either way, she and Joy Boy came to be on good terms but because of politics, she had to side with the 20 kingdoms until she could make her ultimate move. But this would mean that Joy Boy is based on Julius Caesar. And I think it's about time to consider what this would actually mean in detail because although Caesar was martyred by the public following his death, Julius Caesar could also be viewed as a ruthless dictator, a tyrant, bullying his way into becoming the Roman Emperor. Whereas it's also true that some say that he was actually quite merciful, offering those he conquered Roman citizenship. And I think this dual face of Caesar is actually very fitting with a piece of dialogue that is always stuck with me. Rayleigh's words to the Straw Hats that when the Straw Hats find out the truth, they may draw their own conclusions, have their own opinion, their own perspective. One of the first details we found out about the Void Century that things are not so clear cut. It's possible to have more than one view. And so maybe what this means is that Joy Boy or the ancient kingdom weren't wholly good or pure, which is something we've seen throughout one piece that no one is truly 100% good or bad. And then when you also throw in the fact that both ancient Greece and Rome are relevant or were relevant in inspiring Oda, then you could even suppose that there was a legitimate reason to quell the ancient kingdom if Greece and Rome are supposed to represent the two type of D family members. Some of the ancient kingdom being more aggressive than the others and overall this causing a lot of hatred and distrust by the surrounding kingdoms. So if we keep looking into the other monarchs that then opposed the ancient kingdom, then the first of the 20 families names we were introduced to in the series is Don Quixote. And it's also well known that the Don Quixote family and Dressrosa more broadly is heavily influenced by Spain. Well it just so happens that Hispania was the name used for the Iberian Peninsula that fell under Roman rule from the 2nd century BC. From this point forth, their population was gradually Romanized. Thereby supporting my point earlier that each of the 20 monarchs seemed to be territories that the ancient kingdom took over or otherwise encroached upon. Similarly, the figurelands. As one of the most recently revealed names, there's not a whole lot of information we can draw from to definitively claim that the figurelands are connected to a real life historical kingdom. But my money is on Sparta. We know that figureland garling is the head of the Holy Knights. He's an extremely proficient combatant. And well, it just so happens that Sparta, one of the ancient Greek city-states is characterized by its highly militaristic structure. Spartan culture centered around the military with young boys starting training when they were just 7 years old. On top of physical strength and toughness, Spartans were also trained to uphold the importance of the Spartan state, this nationalistic pride being a core value. And this seems to very much fit what we've seen of figureland garling, who values structure and hierarchy. His ruthlessness in doing away with Mule's guard shows how rigid his way of thinking is. And best of all, there is a strong relationship between Sparta and Figgs. Figgs seemingly being the most important part of the figureland name. Although Figgs were popular in ancient Greece most generally, we also know that it was special for Spartans particularly. Early Figgs were used as training fuel for Olympic athletes, as well as given as medals to the winners. Figgs were also central to the Spartan diet. It being one of Sparta's main agricultural produce. And again, this is important when you consider that Sparta also eventually fell to Rome, suggesting that maybe the figurelands were another one of the kingdoms that were conquered by the ancient kingdom, and then it would make sense that the figurelands would then join the 20 kingdoms to overthrow the ancient kingdom, especially as a proud and headstrong people. A family name that I really struggled to find a real-life connection to, the classical age in particular, was the man-mayor family. The name really just doesn't ring a bell when it comes to real-life history, and we also don't know all that much about the man-mayor family to try and find similarities according to any special characteristics. I will say that the first thing that came to my mind when I heard man-mayor was Myanmar. But Myanmar is a modern name for the country of Burma. And although the Roman Empire expanded to great lengths, I'm not aware that they made it all the way to Southeast Asia. However, for whatever reason, if Myanmar is somehow relevant, I do think that something that is interesting is that the former state councillor of Myanmar, which is the equivalent of a prime minister, Ong San Suu Kyi, was a Nobel Prize winner for having championed democracy in a politically fraught state. However, in more recent times, Kyi has been criticized for defending the state's use of armed forces to commit genocide against religious minorities. And in terms of relevance for one piece, even if this doesn't relate to the theory about the ancient age and the classical period, it does fit with that same idea of political figures initially thought to be doing good, only to be corrupted, similar to Emu's possession of the throne. And this actually seems to be even clearer when it comes to the Goraseh's historical counterparts. But firstly, when it comes to the Goraseh, what's really interesting is that each of the Goraseh is obviously named after one of the planets, but in particular, their names have Greco-Roman influence, each being named after a Greco-Roman deity. But why? Because the ancient kingdom is supposed to be the representation of ancient Greece or Rome. Well, I actually think that the Goraseh's names highlights the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire in the Eastern States. The Byzantine Empire actually survived for a long time all the way until 1453 actually, when it finally succumbed to the rise of the Ottoman Empire. The Byzantines actually considered themselves Romans, and the name Byzantine wasn't used to describe the Empire until after their demise. They were also very Christian, this being their defining trait, and it held order and traditional hierarchies as key values. And I think you can clearly see the relevance to the Goraseh. Via their Greco-Roman names, it's as if they're trying to emulate and continue the strength of the ancient kingdom. If we said that the 20 kingdoms were once conquered by the ancient kingdom, once the ancient kingdom was overthrown, it's as if the world government tried to keep on to that same glory and legacy of such a great kingdom, therefore continuing the influence as shown through the Goraseh's names. In addition, going back to my point about the world government being heavily influenced by Catholicism, it can't be a coincidence that the Byzantine society was also a very religious society. The Byzantines were also a highly stratified society with clear demarcations between their wealthy and poor social classes, which is very evident amongst the celestial dragons generally. But we've also seen more recently that the Goraseh are particularly dismissive of humans, regarding them as insects not worthy of any consideration. And something else that's interesting, however, is that the appearance of each of the Goraseh seem to be inspired by key figures in politics. It's been pointed out that Saturn looks like Karl Marx, for example, Venus Juro like Gandhi, Walkury like Mikhail Gorvachev, Jupiter looks like Abraham Lincoln, and Mars looks like Itagaki Taisuke. And I'm not going to get into the politics of each and every person, because many of these figures were actually active in relatively recent times. But all I'm going to say is that for various reasons, each of these figures are very, very great personas. On the surface, it seems like they're all liberators, but when you look into their personal histories, or when you look at what their ideals and efforts resulted in, even if those results weren't necessarily in accordance with their intentions, they are all figures that support that notion that no one is solely good or bad, or even the notion that well-intentioned figures are corruptible, similar to what we discussed about Ong San Suu Kyi. And when it comes to One Piece, again, it seems to support the idea that although the 20 kingdoms in some way, at some point, may have thought they were doing some good, or doing something legitimate and necessary, it's apparent that that wasn't the result. The overthrow of the Ancient Kingdom resulted in another dictator in the form of Imu. Now, those are all the known names of the 20 kingdoms, but based on all of this, we can start speculating that Oda might continue this theme and base some of the other families on real-life countries that were conquered by the Romans, like Britannia or the Celtic people of Gaul. Or you could even analyze this history to consider other events that Oda may appropriate for his story. For example, we know that Julius Caesar and Cleopatra had a son. Could it be that we'll also find out about an offspring between Joy Boy and Lily? And I could keep speculating, but I think I will now leave that to you. So let me know what you think. Does this theory have any ground? Do you have any hypotheses about the Void Century based on real-life history? Let me know by leaving a comment below. Don't forget to like and please do subscribe to this channel if you found today's discussion interesting. I promise to provide more thrilling one-piece discussions to stimulate your minds. Thank you to all of our patrons and channel members for your continued support. This is Joy Girl and I'll see you again soon.